The present invention relates to cosmetic pencil sharpeners. More specifically, the present invention is a cosmetic pencil sharpener that may be used to sharpen cosmetic pencils of various diameters.
Pencil sharpeners are well known in the art. Conventional pencil sharpeners typically include a blade held at an angle to the pencil so that the annular barrel of the pencil may be shaved away from the core to create a point at the end of the pencil. However, a drawback of conventional pencil sharpeners is that pencil barrels vary in diameter. Thus, they cannot properly support the pencil during sharpening because for optimum use, the pencil sharpener has an inlet having substantially the same diameter as the pencil.
Also, pencil sharpeners of the prior art were inconvenient because they are often separate from the pencils so that when a user desires to sharpen a pencil, the sharpener must be found.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a pencil sharpener that is usable with pencils of a variety of sizes.
The present invention is a device for sharpening cosmetic pencils of the type having a core surrounded by an annular barrel. The invention includes a container to capture shavings from the sharpened pencil. The container has a base, side walls, and an open end. The container may optionally include an opening in the side walls to allow access to the interior of the container. Optionally, a door may cover the opening.
A cover is mounted to the open end of the container. The cover has a number of holes of at least three different diameters through its surface. Between the container and the cover, a sharpener is disposed in registration with each of the holes. The sharpener includes a receiver and a metal blade positioned at an angle to the receiver.
In an optional embodiment, the present invention further includes a case. The case includes supports and a receptacle that matingly receives the container. Optionally, the receptacle is complementary to the shape of the container and is located in the top of the case.
A variety of enclosures, containers, and receptacles may be mounted to, or disposed on, the case. For example, the case may optionally include a closeable storage chamber disposed in one of said supports. This storage chamber may be pivotally connected to the support. Similarly, the case may optionally include one or more compartments that are independent of one another and independent of the receptacle. In one such an embodiment, the compartments may be substantially parallel to the receptacle. Likewise, in an optional embodiment, the case may include a number of wells disposed in the supports at an acute angle. The wells may optionally vary in diameter.
In a further optional embodiment, the case may include a mirror mounted to a backing slidably connected to the supports. In such an optional embodiment, the slidable connection allows the mirror to be moved between a stored position in which the mirror is enclosed in the case and a deployed position in which the mirror is exposed. In a further optional embodiment, the backing is mounted near the bottom of the supports so that the backing forms the base of the case when the backing is in the stored postion.